A copvpobation of illi



A. II. LLINBo'I/I ANDI. R. PERRY.

RALL RACE AssEIvIRLIIIG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IIILY I6. 192.0;

Patented Dec, 5,1922.

A RRERIRRIIERT I..

AI H. LoNBoM AND J. R. PERRY.

BALL RACE AssEMLlNG MACHINE. -VVAPPLICATION FILED IULYI, |920. 1j437,431 A Patented Dee. 5', 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/dew ray@ 9 @w @E A.' H. LoNsoM AND I. R. PERRY. 'i fB'ALL-RACE AssENBIING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IuIY I6. 1920.`

l,4:3'73:31."I Patented Dec.,5,

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Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

A. H. LONBOM AND .l. R. PERRY. BALL RCESSEMBLING MACH-INE. APPLICATION FILED IuLY I6, I92o.

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Patented Dec. 5', 1922. y

AXEL H; LONBOM AND JOHN n. PERRY, or DANVILLE, ILLINoIs, assIGNons rro ALLI'rrI-rnoUfr-Y COMPANY, on DANVILLE, LLINos, ,a CORPORATION or ILLL NOIS.

BALL-RACE-ASSEMBLrNG MACHINE.

Appncation ined July 16, 1920. serial No. 396,642.

T all 'Lo/tom t may concern.' srable manner on a table or other suitable Be it known that we, AXEL H. LONBOM support. An upright 11 rises from the base 55 and JOHN R. PERRY, both citizens of the 10 and has an L-shaped end carrying an en- United States, residing at Danville, in the larged sleeve 12 in which a piston 13 is recounty of Vermilion and vState of Illinois, ciprocally mounted. Suitably supported have invented certain new and useful l'mabove and by the frame member 11 is a provements in Ball-Raee-Assembling Macontainer la in which a quantity of balls 60 chines, of which the following is a speciflcamay be placed for delivery, as hereintion. after described, in measured quantities to the Our invention relates to an apparatus for ball races. The container 1A has a funnelassemblmg ball races for ball bearings. shaped lower end 15 in communication with An object of our invention is to provide what we term a counting chamber 16. The 65 an apparatus whereby ball races may be chamber is hollow and its interior is of size quickly, easily and economically assembled. sufcient to arrange the balls which are de- 15 Another object is to lprovide a ball race livered thereto in a vertical column. Outassembling machine which will be ellicient in wardlyof the chamber 16 a shaft 17 is operation and which will be especially adaptmounted in suitable bearings 18, which shaft 70 able for successful commercial use. carries laterally extending top and bottom Our apparatus includes means for meas shutters 19 and 20, the shutters being mount- 20 uring a predetermined quantity of balls, deed on the shaft in different angular positions livering the same to the races, and addiwith respect thereto. A handlev 21 is formed tional means for attaching a cover ring to by bending the lowey end iOf the Sha-ft in 75 the racesl in such manner as to retain the such manner as to be readily accessible for balls in proper position therein. use. The shutters 19 and 20 are adapted to 25 Our invention will be more fully underenter correspondingly disposed slots 22 inthe stood from the specification and drawings counting chamber, for a purpose to be eX- and will be particularly pointed out in the plained hereinafter. 80 ap endedclaims. On the base 10 and immediately below the n the drawings, plunger 13 is a cup-centering device 23 hav- 3o Figure 1 is a side view of the preferred ing a centrally disposed upstanding projecembodiment of our invention; tion or hub 24, the purpose of this being to Figure 2 is an end view of Figure 1, loolrreceive a ball race 25 and center the same in 85 ing at the right hand end thereof; such manner as to be acted on by the plunger Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of a 13, as will be more fully explained. Extenddetail of the plunger;y ing from the lower end of the counting cham- Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional ber 16 in such manner as to be moved over view of the plunger, ball race and support and away from the ball race 25 is a flexible 90 for the race, with the parts shown prior to tube 26 carried at the end of an arm 27 the insertion of the balls in the race, and of mounted on a shaft 28 which extends upi the cover thereto; wardly from the base 10 alongside the count- Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure A, ing chamber 16. The rod 28 has a laterally showing the ring in position overlying the exten-ding arm 29 which is connected by 95 balls in the race; means of a link 30 with the handle 21 of the Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional shaft 17, the parts being so arranged that as view through the container for the bearing the arm 27 is turned to bring the delivery elements, showing a. means for arranging end of the flexible tube 26 into position to the bearing elements in columnar formation; deliver balls to the race 25, the shaft 17 will 100 Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the countbe moved to cause the lower shutter 20,

ing chamber; and which normally extends within the chamber 5o Figure S is ltransverse section on line 16, to be w1thdrawn, and the upper shutter 8 8 of Figure 7. 19 to be moved therein. ThisA movement of The machine as embodied herein includes the shutters permits the balls between the a base 10 which maybe mounted in any deshutters 2O and 19 to be delivered to the ball Cfr race 25. The adjustment of the shutters 19 and 20 determines the quantity oi' balls which may be delivered to the counting chamber from the container 14, and which quantity may be varied as conditions require.

Mounted on a pivot 32 at the back or rear of the base 10 is a Huid pressure cylinder 31, arranged so as to rock with respect to the base 10. Projecting from the upper end ot the cylinder is a piston, 33 `connected at one end of an arm 34, which arm is pivoted at 35 to a link `36 extending upwardly 'from the upright v11 of the fra-me, and which link is preferably .pivoted at 37 to the upright; the.

purpose of this construction being to permit rocking of the arm 34 as the'piston 33 is caused to move. The other endv of the arm 34 is connected by means oit a pivot to the upper end of the plunger 13, whereby to reciprocate said plunger as the piston 33 is operated. Adjacent .the cup-centering device 23 is a valve 39 operated by a handle 40,

which valve controls comn'iunication through a conduit 41 with the interior ot' the iluid pressure cylinder 31, so ythat as the handle 4()` thereof .and slidably supported thereon by pins coo erating with slots 44 inthe plunger' head. ne'side of .the head 42 is provided with aslot 45 intowhich a ball-retaining ring 46 may be inserted for application to the ball race 25. rfhe interior of the lower portion of the head 42 is inclined as shown 'for the purpose oit preventing the ring 46 from falling out and permitting movement of the plunger 13 relatively to the head 42. That is to4 say, said vhead'42 isI shaped on its interiorin the form of a truncated cone.

The operation of'our device is as follows:

The parts being in the position shown in Figure 1, that is, in normal position, a quantity of balls is put into the container 14.

Immediately, by reason of gravity, these descend into the counting chamber 16, where, by reason of the shutter 2O projecting into `said chamber, the column of balls is brought to rest. A ball race 25 is then placed on the ring-centeringdevice 23 and the arm 27 rotated by the operator oi' the machine. The rotation oi' this handle, by reason oit the link connections with the shaft 137, causes the upper shutter 19 toiinove into the path of balls in the counting chamber, preventing the passage of any more vfrom the container 14 into theV counting chamber. Continued movement of the shaftt moves the lower shutter 2O out of the path oi the balls and the quantity oi balls in the 'counting chamber then passes `through the flexible conductor 26 into the ball race 25.

- A. ball-retaining ring 46 is then inserted through the slot 45 in the head 42 on the plunger, as shown in Figure 4. Vhen the ring 46 has been placed in position, the fluid control valve 40 is o erated to cause the plunger to descend. Phe plunger and its head 42 will descend until the head 42I engages the upper edge of the ball race 25,

whereupon it is brought to rest. By reason of the mounting of the head 42 on the plunger 13, whereby relative movement is possible, continued movement of the plunger is permitted. The plunger then engages the ring 46 and moves the `saine downwardly and by reason .of fthe converging .walls .of .the lower portion of thehead .42 slightly bends the ring 46 softhat the Ysame is orcedinto the ring-receiving recess 47formedfnea1uthe upper edge of the fball race 25. By reason oi' the resiliency ofthe ring the. same im-v mediately `assumes its' normal ,shape in the recess 47, which is clearly shown in Figure 5 vof .thedrawings When in this position the ring 46 Aacts to retain thefballs 48 in the race 25, so as to revent escape of the balls from the race. rlllhe valve` :handle .40 is then actuated to retract .theplunger 13 so that the assembled ball race may be reinovedland another race25 be put in .positionfor filling in the manner .before described. v

We have shown a belt 49 passing varound a pulley 50 integral with the lower end .of the ball container 14 and .whichbelt passes over suitable pulleys 51 carried by :the

pivots 35 `of links 36. (lne `end ,of the .belt

is connected to a spring 52, the other` end of which spring is attached to the pivot 32 oi the cylinder 31.. yThe other'end of the y belt is continued downwardly .over .a pulley fore, that as the piston 13 is rerciprocated the belt 49 will cause ,the ball container 14 to rotate, which action servesin -aiding the discharge of the balls into the counting chamber 16. y

Referring to Figure 6 of the drawings, there is shown in section the interior` of the container 14. Thecounting chamber 16 coinmunicates with the interior of thevcontainer 14 by means of a memberhaving in the present instance a cylindrical opening 58 extending therethrough, the `upper end of the container being extended at 59and having one Side of the cylindrical opening 58 exposed, as at 60. This portion of the counting chamber extends inwardly of the ybottom of the container, so that the bearing elements (in the present instance being balls 6l) may enter the cylindrical opening 58 in the counting chamber and by reason of the construction of such opening, be arranged in columnar form, so as to be delivered to the ball race 25 lor the purpose hereinbel'ore described.

lt will be observed that by our invention it is possible to quickly and efficiently assemble ball races with the requisite number or' balls therein and With the ball-retaining ring suitably secured therein. The capacity et the machine is limited only by the ability of the operator to supply empty ball races and cover rings to the various parts and operate the valve control handle 40.

No means are disclosed herein for securing relative adjustment between the upper and lower shutters 19 and 2O whereby to vary the number or' balls delivered from the container 14 to the ball race. Suitable means for this purpose Will occur to those slrilled in the art.

While We have described more or less precisely the details of our invention, We do not Wish to be understood as limiting ourselves thereto, as We contemplate changes in form and the proportion ot parts and substitution oi equivalents as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, Without departing from the spirit of our invention.

le claim:

l. In a device of the character described,

a hopper for balls, means for measuring and delivering by gravity a predetermined number of said balls to a ball race and means for pressing a retaining member into said ball race 'for retaining said balls in proper position.

2. In a device of the character described, ball race positioning means, means for measuring and delivering by gravity a predetermined number of balls to a ball race located on said positioning means, and means for pressing` a retaining member into said ball race tor retaining` said balls in proper position.

In a device of the character described, a hopper for balls, means connecting With said hopper for ,causing said balls to take a position in a column and means for measuring and conducting a predetermined number of said balls to a ball race.

4. In a device of the character described, a hopper for balls, means connecting with said hopper for causing` said balls to take a position in a column, means for measuring and conducting` a predetermined number ot balls to ball race, said hopper being` provided with means Yfor moving same to insure Atree action ot the balls Within said hopper.

5. In a device of the character described, a hopper for balls, agitating means lor said hopper. means for measuring and delivering by gravity a predetermined number or" said balls to a ball race, means for pressing a retaining member into said ball race for retaining said balls in proper position.

6. In a device of the character described,

hopper for balls, means tor measuring and delivering by gravity a predetermined number ol said balls to a ball race, means for pressing retaining` member into said ball race for retainiirq` said balls in proper position and agitating means for said hopper, said agitating means being in cooperative association with said pressing means.

7. In ball race filling mechanism, in combination, ball race positioning means, and a plunger, said plunger having a collar movable relative thereto i'or locating` the retaining` member 'for ball race, said plunger being adapted to torce said retaining member into place in said ball race.

8. In ball race filling mechanism, in combination, ball race positioning means, and a plunger, said plunger having a collar movable relative thereto for locating the retaining member for a ball race, said plunger being adapted to 'force said retaining member into place in said ball race, said plunger and collar having a common axis normally vertically placed, said collar having an interior contour in the shape ot an inverted truncated cone.

9. In ball race lling mechanism, in combination, ball race positioning means and a plunger, said plunger having a collar movable relative thereto ttor locating the retaining member for a ball race, said plunger being adapted to Jtorce said retaining memer downwardly, said plunger and collar having a common axis vertically placed, said collar having a. side opening for the admission oi a retaining member and having a lower portion for holding saidL 'retaining member.

l0. In combination, a hopper for balls, means connecting` With said hopper for causing said balls to take position in a column, means for cutting off a predetermined number oit balls in said column for measuring purposes, means for delivering said predetermined number of balls to a ball race, and plunger means tor pressing a retaining member into said ball race.

ll. In combination. a hopper for balls, means connecting with said hopper for causing` said balls to taire position in a column` means for cutting ofi a predetermined number ot balls in said column for measuring` purposes, means for delivering said predetermined number ot balls to a ball race, plunger means tor pressing a retaining inember into said ball race, and means for agitating said hopper to cause the tree running ot said balls. l

l2. In a machine of the class described, a hopper for balls, ball race positioning means, means connecting with said hopper llO for causingl said balls to take up a position in a column, means for cutting ofi' a predetermined number of said balls in said Column for measuring purposes, means for conducting lsaid predetermined numbei` of balls to a position in proximity with said posi-' tioning means, means for pressing a retainmg member into said ball race and control means for said cutting off meansragldvslaid Pressure means located adjacent t0 Said -P9- 10 sitoning means.

Signed at Danville, Illinois, this 2d day of June, Y1920. i

AXEL H- LONBOM- JOHN n. PERRY. 

